So… you just got done adding closed captions to your YouTube Video. It took a couple hours, but you’ve fixed all the mistakes YouTube’s algorithm made, and make the whole thing nice and easy to read.
Nice work! Your video will probably start ranking better in YouTube’s search.
Pressed for time? Skip to the solution
So You Want To Add A Video Transcript?
To take further advantage of your labor of love, you decide you want to add a transcript to your website or blog.
You download the transcript, and open it in notepad.
These timestamps are helpful for YouTube, but not for every situation.
Great. Except it’s littered with thousand of timestamps above each line.
For a moment, you consider deleting each one, one at a time. Then you decide, hitting your head repeatedly against a wall would probably be more enjoyable (and better for your mental health).
No worries. There’s probably a simple way to remove them…
Overly Complicated Solutions
So, the other day, I found myself in this situation. I did a few Google searches hoping for a way to download a version without timestamps.
Instead, I found forums with various complicated tutorials.
One tutorial recommend I install a special program. Import the file. Export that file. Copy it into Google Docs. Install a special add-on. Run it through that program. Download the file again. And put in on my site.
Okay, I’d rather not install a bunch of extra software, but I guess that works.
I started down that path, but once I downloaded the program, it needed to install java. But java wouldn’t install. I tried again. No dice.
Fine. I didn’t want to install java anyway.
There has to be a better way…
An Easier Solution
I decided to change my approach. What I really wanted was an online tool that could strip the timestamps. So I went to Google and searched…
Bingo.
The first link game me a simple online tool that did exactly what I needed.
Admittedly, it’s not going to win any design awards. But it got the job done, and it was fast and easy.
I pasted my transcript on the left. Clicked the button. And a cleaned up version appeared on the right.
So much better!
So I decided to write a short article about it. That way, I can easily find the link again in the future, and anyone else who has the same trouble can find it too.
Here’s the link: https://anatolt.ru/t/del-timestamp-srt.html
What do you think? Was this helpful? Let us know in the comments below…
P.S. Here’s a link to the video page (with transcript) that was alluded to in this article.
Text Article
Video
35 Comments
Terrific time-saver! Thank you for your insight! The mind-numbing tedium of manually finding then deleting all those mm:ss blissfully gone.
Thanks! Worked for me in Chrome, 4/12. Just copied from YouTube and pasted without going through Notepad.
The link won’t bring the page up anymore. I’ve used Edge and Google. I’ve also tried searching for alternatives unsuccessfully. I do minutes for a lot of meetings that are several hours long – Any other suggestions ?
Hi Jean,
I just checked the link it’s working fine for me.
You are going to this link, right?
https://anatolt.ru/t/del-timestamp-srt.html
yes and below is message I get. I’ve cleared my cache in edge and google and tried again today but still get same error, even in private/incognito windows. It always worked before.
504 DNS look up failed
The webserver reported that an error occurred while trying to access the website. Please return to the previous page.
URL https://anatolt.ru/t/del-timestamp-srt.html
Username
Group Name
I wonder if maybe your IP Address got banned somehow.
Maybe you could try using a VPN, or use a friend’s computer (or a public library). If it works there, by best guess is your IP address must have been banned for some reason.
Adding – it does work on my iMac at home, I’ve sent a message to our Help(less) Desk to see it it is blocked from our network for some reason.
IT said it’s blocked because it goes to a Russian website.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Before February 2022, there was a button in the transcript where you could turn the timestamps off – but my button disappeared about that time. Your alternative WORKED PERFECTLY!
Why would Youtube do that to us? I can’t see where it would benefit them by our having to keep the timestamps! You just never know what “THEY” are going to do to freedom-loving people next!!
Thank you so much and may the Lord God bless you in everything you do for helping His people!!
Same here. You are an angel Steven for making it easier for us.
Hey this was helpful for me, thank you!
brilliant! thank you 🙂
I have a large transcript. Is there a character limit to this script? I pasted the transcript in but 15 mins later and it still hasn’t completed … am I doing something wrong?
Hi Andrew,
I’m not sure if there is a limit, but I’ve never run into one. I just did a test with a document that had 2700 lines and it converted it instantly.
Maybe the server was having a bad day when you tried it, or maybe there really is an issue with extremely large documents.
I’d recommend trying again. If it doesn’t work within a few seconds, Try converting the document in smaller chunks.
Wow! Thank you SOOO much!! To the ‘negatives’ out there… This was offered FREE to anyone interested! You could maybe, be nice and be thankful, huh?
You could reduce this article by 70%. I don’t care about your process, I just want the solution.
Hi Kat, I just added a link to “Skip to the solution” for those that are not interested in the process.
Jeepers, look who just tumbled fresh out of charm school! 🙄
EXCELLENT.
Thanks for the article and making it available to web search.
This was outstanding! Worked just like you said, a real time saver. Thanks!
Awesome! Amazing!!
Thank you sooo much. You are a life saver. I have a test tomorrow and I got 3 videos I haven’t watched this was a huge help. 🙂
The tool is simply magical! Thanks for sharing. I feel really relieved despite the extra effort it’d take to arrange the extracted text in standard doc form. Howbeit, well done!
OMG this is amazing and has saved me SO much time and misery. Thank you very much … I’m so happy 🙂
Thank you very much, but it is not perfect. I still have to delete the in front of the timestamps.
If you find you still need to do something in bulk I might suggest this article about Advanced Find & Replace with Notepad++
https://www.launch2success.com/guide/advanced-find-and-replace-in-notepad/
FINALLY – I’ve spent hours looking for a solution to this. Thank you for having this service!! Really, I’m so relieved. Gonna save me hours … seriously.
MARVELLOUS!! I really appreciate your help. This tool is really useful.
Have a nice day and many tranks.
Thank you so much for posting this information! I appreciate it! The link worked great! The word processor removed the timestamps from my downloaded .sbv file from YouTube!
awww perfect! Thank you, this saved me so much time! You Rock!
Appreciate the help, stay safe and God Bless
Very helpful and simple. Thank you so much for sharing you have saved me a lot of time! 🙂
Amazing. It states the title or name of the person speaking, which could be helpful or annoying. Apart from that it works like a charm.
OH……MY………GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BRO, you just saved me boatloads of time. I’ve got videos for my college class that I’m getting the transcripts from Youtube. It’s taken me 2 days to work on 2 videos and I’m not done with the 2nd one. I’ve got about 4 more to do, but with this, I now just have to listen to the video and add the correct punctuations. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!
You’re welcome! It’s always nice to see when the things I write help people out. 🙂